1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multicolor printing press, more particularly, to a multicolor printing press capable of executing multicolor printing operation using dampening waterless plates. (i.e. "a waterless planographic plate": a waterless planographic plate is described in detail, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Gazette No. 94504/1973 and No. 50102/1975.)
2. Description of the Prior Art
Structurally, any of conventional multicolor printing presses incorporating a plurality of plate cylinders disposes plate cylinders in positions close to each other, and thus, it cannot provide space enough for installing dampening arrangement, inking device, and the plate feeding/discharging device altogether in the periphery of each plate cylinder. For example, those multicolor printing machines disclosed by the official publications in conjunction with the Japanese Patent Laying-Open Gazette No. 165264/1982, No. 152504/1979 and No. 8204/1978, merely provide the inking device and the dampening arrangement in the periphery of each plate cylinder, whereas these provide no space needed for installing the plate feeding/discharging device. As a result, any of these multicolor printing presses oblige an operator to manually wind the printing plates onto the plate cylinders, after the inking device and the dampening arrangement is departed from the plate cylinder. Actually, any conventional multicolor printing press cannot automatically feed and discharge plates due to structural disadvantage.